Stroughmatt to perform at JC Historical Village
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By TRAVIS MORSE
tmorse@morningsentinel.com
MOUNT VERNON — Renowned musician Dennis Stroughmatt will make his much-anticipated return to the Jefferson County Historical Society next week for a special program on Creole culture and music.
The free program will take place at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17, in the Schweinfurth Museum at the Jefferson County Historical Village. His presentation is entitled, “Illinois Creoles, French Canadians, and Louisiana Cajun: Illinois, a Continental Story.” It will include both stories and songs.
Stroughmatt, who has performed at the village numerous times, is a cultural preservationist, educator, speaker, folk musician and long-time Road Scholar, Sentinel archives state.
“The Jefferson County Historical Society (JCHS) is blessed to start our year of programming with Dennis Stroughmatt,” said JCHS Community Relations Specialist Dana Uhls. “Dennis has performed at the village every January for many years and he never disappoints. We have plans to celebrate both the 80th anniversary of JCHS and America turning 250 in 2026. Please follow us on Facebook to see our plans for the year ahead.”
A JCHS news release provided more details on Stroughmatt’s presentation and what it will cover.
“New France once stretched from the St. Lawrence River of Canada to New Orleans, and within its territory lived a vast population of French colonists almost as diverse as they were strong,” the release states. “With the coming of new borders and the formation of new countries like Canada and the United States, these French founders would find themselves divided and even isolated. But their cultures have remained, still existing after two centuries of isolation.”
Stroughmatt’s program will take audiences on a journey of discovery where they will hear the history of these colonists’ arrival, the French dialects they still speak, and the unique music they still perform, the release states.
“And most importantly, through story and song, played on ‘Creole Fiddle,’ audiences will have fun learning how the French of ‘The Illinois Country’ serve almost as a time capsule for their cousins to the north and south,” the release states. “With a ‘dash’ of Cajun and a ‘pinch’ of Quebecois, this program will show how Illinois Creole culture bridges the continental expanse from Canada to Louisiana.”
The Jan. 17 program will be provided free of charge, but donations to the Jefferson County Historical Society are appreciated. The Historical Village is located at 1411 N. 27th St. in Mount Vernon.
For more information, contact the local Historical Society office at (618) 246-0033.
